Process of treating clay, kaolin, and ceramic masses.



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GUSTAV KEPPELEB, O F DARMSTA D T AND Anna's/r Brandeis-aid or mantra, annum; sun sranenmanae. assienoa To 1111) xnrrnrnn.

No Drawing.

raoonss or TREATING our, KAoLm,-m-enaau-rq means.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, GUSTAV doctor of philosophy, lecturer, and resident of Darmstadt, in the Grand A Duchy of Hesse, German Empire, whose post-oiiice address is Stiftstrasse No. 25,'and Annna'r SPANGENBERG, chemist, engineer, and res1 dent of Merzig-on-the-Saar, German Eur pire, whose post-office address isLoskeimerstrasse No. 7 have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Clay, Kaolin, and CeramicMas'ses, of which the following is a specification.

It is known thatclays and the ceramic masses made therefrom are very diflerent in respect of properties essential for work in them. l Thesediflerences are not to be re erred solely to the varying amount of actual clay substance present, since even kaolin, which may be consideredas a pure claysubdoes not possess in .a perfect degree the properties essential ior Working it. For

the very important operation of molding and working on the Wheel, the clays lack lasticity and the necessary power of binding the inert material; but it is not only in respect of these operations that the properties come into consideration.

In the ceramic art the operation of casting is increasingly applied. This operation depends on the phenomenon that pastes of them or certain clays become fluid, although containing comparatively little watenon addition of alkali; the inert material is held suspended in this fluid and the various objects are formed by casting the fluid in molds of plaster of Paris or wood. For carryin out this operation all clays are not suita le since many have notthe property of becoming fluid in presence/oi comparatively little water on addition of alkali.

The resent invention consistsin impart ing artificially these aforesaid V properties to those cla s Which do not naturally possess ave them only in small degree.

It is a commonpractice to store'clay in a in order to give it plasticity, and the result has been aided or 1mbefore storroved .by adding to the clay P The applimg it, filthy or stagnant water. cents sults are obtained byiadding to the clay humic acids or substances containing humus. They have further found that the discovery is ofa niucli more general nature,

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of becoming fluid when suitablymixed wit have discovered thatsurprising re-- in that, the desired properties can 'be "imparted to the clay in a higher degree and in a, shorter time if organic compounds of high molecular weight that is to say organic and ammonia. When workingwith the ad-f dition of alkali, the humic acids have proved 1n all cases most suitable. They are used in the form of. Casseler Braun brown coal, peat o r rotten-wood 1 The addi-f tlon of alkali is -very essential sinceit. dissolves the said" substances and distributes the-min ,the clay; In-this manner the plas ticityland binding power of clay and the,- cerarnic masses made therefrom is'iconsidefl ably increased in a short time, and the actionof the added matter can be aided by mechanicahworking. But the addition of" alkali must be limited; if too Iiiuch is added the 'mass becomes too mobile; for

working on the Wheel.or by molding. It" has also been found that the aforesaid additions give the clay the further propert fectly be used for casting, such clay becomes su tably fluidfor casting if an alkalibe present 1nv a propriate concentration, with a' much sma er. proportion of water than weula be the ase without thi'saddition.f-

of the aforesaid "substances. maybe;

used for this purpose, but'humicacidsand substances containing humus .have proved,

The tanninacids' 'tanninh'ave also 1 most useful in allcases. and subStanceS containing given very good results. The humid, sub-.

stances have however the advantage of be? ing cheaper. In making a mass-suitableforcasting'the alkali or :gpmoniumsalts-jof all acids, mentioned above or solutionsof each 1105':

g miitures ceramic masses;- I

can be 'rnade smitable for casting within."

wlderlimi-ts. The presence of inert mattersalts, may be used,

By he aforesaid of any sort in the mass, usual in the various ceramlc industries, does not afiect; the inven tion. Indeed, .even the presenceoflcoruntance for producing increased plasticit and 'binding power. Thus the special'a vanta es of a-' slip suitablefor casting areavaila le. The hlgher concentration of alkali enables the organic substances 'to penetrate the mass even to the smallest .partlcles', and the nature of the slip allowsthe most intimate inter-mixture of the constituents of the mass, the clay and, thetinert matter.

For moldin .and working onthe wheel the slip suitab e for casting cannot be used even when it contains still less water. Even" when the masshas dried to a suitable consistency for handling, it is too mobile for most purposes. It is quite easy, however,- to remove this. mobility without detract ing from the other. advantages, by adding' with: ,care a small amount of a suitable electrolyte such' as a mineral acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or even acetic acid or asimilar strong acid; salts of strong acids such as calcium chlori'd, barium chlorid, aluminium chlorid, aluminium sulfate or the like may also be used. This a fi'ords another valuable treatment for improving thequalities of-the clay. Besides the aforesaid organic bodies of high molecular weight, for the purpose of thorough penetration of the 'massso muchalkali or ammonia isadded, that from the mass.- to be treated, in presence of a'corresponding proportion oLwater, an easily cast fluid is produced; the necessary'am'ount of-solidity for molding or working on the wheel is thenimparted to the mass by illdlClOilSflddition' of a suit-able electrolyte such "as a strong acid or a salt thereof. In this way I theplasticity and binding power of ceramic masses is considerably increased.-

The advantages obtained by the common use of the above mentioned, additions and thinned masses are made more easily workable by these additions. mixed with so much'inert'matter that it is quite short and offers greatdifiiculties in working-can now be used to produce ceramic goodsby treating it in the above described manner, be it b raising its plas ticity or by converting tl'into a slip suitable or casting. I

' Having'thus described the'nature, of our A mass which is said invention andathe weknow of carrying the same into practicalefiect, we

1.. T process of treating clay,- kaolin I and ceramlc' masses, which process consists-3 in adding to these bodies or in'asses alkali and an organic compound having the effects insaid mlxture like those due'm the effects -o:|:" humic acid on such bodies, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The .process"of treating clay, kaolin. and ceramicimasses, which'proces's consists intaddin "to "these bodies"'-or masses ammoma an an organic compound having the in adding to these bodies or masses an alkali and an organic acid having'the efiectsupon 'the mixturelike-those due'to the eifects of humic acid upon said bodies, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 4

The process of treating clay, kaolin and ceramic masses, which process consists 'in adding to these bodies or masses an. al-

kali and a substance containing humus.

and ceramic masses, which process conslsts in adding to these 'bodies or masses an alkali and humic acid: p

6. The process of treating clay, kaolin and ceramic masses, which process consists in adding to these bodies or masses an acid of high molecular weight, having the same effect upon such bodies as humic acid, and

of water the mass will become easily fluid, and finally and gradually a suitable electrolyte, until the desired consistency is obtained, substantially'as and for: the purpose described. a

-7.'The' process of treating clay, kaolin and ceramic masses,'which process consists in adding to these bodiesor masses an acid of high molecular weight, having thesame elfect upon such bodies as humic acid, and so much alkali that with a Suitable quan- V5 The process of treating clay, kaolin so much alkali that .with a suitable quantity t-it'v-of water the mass will become easily fluid, and finally. andgradually an 'acid until the 'desired consistency is obtained, substantially as and for the purpose described. v

In testimony, that we claim the foregoing as our invention", we have signed our names in resenceof two-witnesses, this'tenth' day of guly'1907.

GUSTAV KEPPELER.

Eva Sam-m1, HERMAN'N ALBERT SPANGENBERGr Witnesses: 

